Blue White Illustrated

MARCH 3 8 9 17 23 24 30 31 APRIL 6 7 13 14 OHIO STATE................................................... 7 p.m. at Pepperdine.............................................. 10 p.m. at USC.........................................................10 p.m. at Saint Francis, Pa........................................7 p.m. at NJIT...........................................................7 p.m. at Rutgers-Newark.......................................... 7 p.m. at Princeton................................................... 7 p.m. at George Mason........................................... 7 p.m. SACRED HEART.............................................. 7 p.m. HARVARD.......................................................2 p.m. at BYU...........................................................9 p.m. at BYU...........................................................9 p.m. 21 SAINT FRANCIS.............................................. 7 p.m. 26-28 EIVA Tournament at site of No. 1 seed 26 Semifinal round..........................................TBA 28 Championship............................................TBA MAY 3-5 NCAA Tournament at Los Angeles 3 5 Semifinals................................................. TBA Final..........................................................TBA L A S T WO R D MA T T H E R B | MA T T@B L U EWH I T E O N L I N E . C OM A www.AmericanAleHouse.net 821 Cricklewood Drive, Toftrees State College A long-term investment t his introductory news confer- ence in January, Bill O'Brien was asked about the impact his absence was likely to have on Penn State's 2012 recruiting class. O'Brien was planning to fin- ish the season with the New England Patriots, a commitment he knew might keep him from taking the Penn State job full-time until after signing day. His answer was succinct. "I'm not concerned about signing kids in the next few weeks," he said. "I'm concerned about the next 10 to 20 years." O'Brien's comment lent a healthy dose of perspective to an endeavor that's more often characterized by short-term thinking and hyperbole. There's something about recruiting season that brings out the frothing rage-zombie in otherwise rational people, and when things don't go as hoped, as things sometimes don't, the response all too often is to grab the keyboard, hit the caps- lock button and vent. At Penn State this year, the 814.238.1406 • www.the-phyrst.com 111 E. Beaver Avenue • State College, PA unhappiness stemmed primarily from the losses to Ohio State. Four players who had committed to the Nittany Lions ended up recanting and signing with the Buckeyes, while several others who were thought to be leaning Penn State's way or at least giving the Lions serious consideration ended up falling under the spell of Urban Meyer. There's no question the team suf- fered some tough breaks on the recruiting trail in the past few months. Would Noah Spence or Camren Williams have looked pret- ty good in blue and white? Undoubtedly. They'd look good in just about any color combo, from scarlet and gray to fuchsia and taupe. But trends matter more than individual wins and losses, and with O'Brien and his staff hav- W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ing had only a few weeks to pull Penn State's class together, any assessment of their recruiting prowess seems premature. Penn State's 2012 class finished in the middle of the recruiting rankings, regardless of which serv- ice you put your faith in. They were 50th according to Rivals and 49th according to Scout. That's not where the Lions are accustomed to finishing, but let's consider the cir- cumstances. The university was dealing with the fallout from what some have termed the biggest scandal in col- lege sports history. It dismissed all but two members of its coaching staff and didn't replace them until January, by which time there was less than a month to go before signing day. Any one of those factors might have torpedoed this year's class. The Lions were confronted with all three in a two-month period, and yet they managed to secure imme- diate help at positions where help was needed and held together a class that at one point seemed on the verge of disintegrating. Moreover, amid speculation that some players already on campus were growing restless, O'Brien and his staff kept the squad together, helping it get through one of the most turbulent periods in school history. At a media gathering on signing day, tailback Silas Redd said he appreciated the perseverance of the 14 recruits who committed to Penn State before the Sandusky scandal and stayed on board for the dura- tion. Said Redd, "It means a whole lot to us to have guys who are committed, figuratively and literal- ly, who commit to this team and are willing to work and just block out everything else that's going on and focus on our goal here." It meant a lot to O'Brien, too. "You've got to give these guys a lot of credit," he said. "They committed to Penn State University, they com- mitted to the special place it is, where you can play football and get a degree. That was a testament to their mental toughness, their abili- ty to stick it out. I give them all the credit in the world. I can't wait to start coaching them and working with them." That opportunity will arrive soon enough. Meanwhile, O'Brien and his staff have already turned their attention to the Class of 2013, a class that will have their stamp. He has made it clear he wants to build his program primarily by recruiting prospects from within a 400-mile radius of University Park. But he also appears willing to venture well outside that perimeter if he thinks the Lions will be able to find suc- cess. And it's likely they will be able to find success, both inside and out- side of Pennsylvania. Penn State is one of those schools whose invest- ment in football is so substantial that prolonged disappointment is not really an option. This is a uni- versity with state-of-the-art facili- ties, a championship tradition, a massive corps of hyper-engaged fans, a location that gives it access to the most fertile recruiting areas in the Mid-Atlantic region, New England and the Carolinas, a con- ference affiliation that opens up the Midwest, and now a coaching staff with connections in Florida, Texas and the Deep South. Too big to fail? It's probably unwise to put that label on any institution these days, athletic, educational or otherwise. But if you're one of the many thousands of people with an emotional invest- ment in Penn State, chances are that investment is going to pay off. Just be sure that you're thinking long-term. M A R C H 2 , 2 0 1 2 39

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